Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Brasov

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasov: $1,329 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Brasov
Learn more

Brasov Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Brasov

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Brasov

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico City and in Brasov actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,329 in Brasov.

Mexico City $1,608
Brasov $1,329

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,100 in Brasov.

Mexico City $2,549
Brasov $2,100

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,872 in Brasov.

Mexico City $3,490
Brasov $2,872

Living in Mexico City is roughly 21% more expensive than in Brasov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Brasov is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$11.18 RON 53.4

-5.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$51.6 RON 247

-6.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$7.52 RON 35.96

37.63%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$3.56 RON 17.02

3.65%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 MX$31.29

$2.47 RON 11.79

-32.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$2.24 RON 10.71

-43.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$3.10 RON 14.84

2.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$3.43 RON 16.39

54.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.58 RON 7.53

8.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.37 RON 6.57

121.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$1.74 RON 8.34

11.49%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$3.56 RON 17.02

-18.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$8.89 RON 42.46

23.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$6.71 RON 32.08

37.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$12.46 RON 59.5

21.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$1.52 RON 7.29

100.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$1.56 RON 7.46

24.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$1.58 RON 7.57

28.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$2.59 RON 12.37

-10.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$0.78 RON 3.71

161.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$0.86 RON 4.10

109.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$0.91 RON 4.36

62.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.77 RON 3.66

64.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$6.03 RON 28.81

-12.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$7.29 RON 34.84

120.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.18 RON 5.65

67.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$1.87 RON 8.91

127.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$1.02 RON 4.88

-69.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$23.18 RON 111

-14.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$0.64 RON 3.04

187.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$0.67 RON 3.22

-20.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$6.65 RON 31.76

-20.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.93 RON 9.21

-21.76%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$28.1K RON 134.5K

-22.69%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$24.9K RON 119.1K

-3.79%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$63.0 MX$1,182

$179 RON 856

-64.83%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$27.39 MX$514

$7.57 RON 36.18

261.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$9.32 RON 44.55

282.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$55.5 RON 265

6.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$13.39 RON 64.0

76.55%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$9.42 RON 45.03

-32.06%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$432 MX$8,103

$434 RON 2,076

-0.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$6,793 RON 32.5K

68.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$52.2 RON 249

30.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$35.26 RON 168

50.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$75.5 RON 361

42.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$89.8 RON 429

30.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$684 RON 3,266

62.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$492 RON 2,350

44.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,247 RON 5,957

107.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$1,010 RON 4,826

39.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$3,153 RON 15.1K

15.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$2,361 RON 11.3K

-9.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$1,096 RON 5,239

-13.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

7.2

57.64%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Brasov: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Brasov

$492 37% 30.8% $219

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Brasov

$226 17% 29.4% $94

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Brasov

$196 14.8% 1.4% $2.7

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Brasov

$114 8.6% 27% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Brasov

$196 14.8% 55.5% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Brasov

$74 5.6% 3.6% $2.6

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Brasov

$31 2.4% 22.8% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $684 in Brasov. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasov pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $52 in Brasov. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $226, with Brasov cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇷🇴 Brasov

🕒 Local time

19:04 7:04 PM

03:04 3:04 AM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

253,200

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Brasov 10,890 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Brasov

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Mexico City vs Brasov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,329 in Brasov, so Brasov is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $684 in Brasov. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $52 in Brasov. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,329 in Brasov – Brasov is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Brasov gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.